Still going here. Just trying to work it all out. Anyway, here's the next chapter!
Chapter 49: The Knight Answers The Call
As it happened, Ironwood did decide to bother with guards. Two outside the door, and two more keeping watch on the window. No other way out. Guess he didn't want to take any other chances on letting a "psychopath" out running free. But it wasn't like I even wanted to go anywhere; word was spreading about my supposed involvement with the "super-Grimm" that had attacked Vale. Add to the fact that I had mauled several guards in an unprovoked attack… and people drew their own singular conclusion.
I was a monster. In name and in body.
And nothing was going to reverse that reputation any time soon.
Currently, I hung from the rope ladder by my legs, watching the holographic feed of the introduction to the finals. Numerous students stood on the raised hexagonal platform, waving to the darkened crowd. Some I recognised immediately: Yang, Sun, Penny, Mercury and Pyrrha. Though as the camera panned over Pyrrha, I saw that she seemed distracted. I could immediately guess why; the revelation of the Fall Maiden was a lot to take in.
"Barty, why don't you explain the rules?" Port's voiced boomed around the arena, emitting from the speakers of my Scroll at a quieter, tinnier level.
"Ah, it's quite simple, Peter. Instead of a bracket system, each round of the finals will be randomly determined immediately before the match takes place!" Dr. Oobleck explained.
"Much like any good hunt, there will be zero time to prepare!" Port continued.
"Ah, yes, yes! Now, let's see who our first match will be!" Oobleck exclaimed. At that moment, a glowing roulette covered the left of the screen, along with a duplicate on the right. One the left was Pyrrha's symbol, her spear and shield layered on a crimson background. On the other, Sun's sigil, the golden silhouette of a monkey on a black backdrop. The roulettes began to scroll, like the reels on a slot machine, until finally, they both stopped. To the left was a burning heart. To the right, a winged boot.
Yang vs. Mercury. Wishing Yang a silent prayer, I began to watch the match, hoping that Yang could be able to win the entire tournament for Beacon. Maybe then, all the sourness of my reputation would no longer be the main focus.
The fight ran on and on, with neither side seeming to gain an advantage. Until finally, Yang knocked Mercury away, and over the edge. As the camera followed him down, my hopes of a quick victory were dashed, as Mercury simply fired a round from his greaves, using the recoil to bounce back onto the stage.
The silver-haired warrior then proceeded to launch a full offensive, striking at Yang and forcing her backwards. As he did so, hundreds upon hundreds of projectiles began to circle overhead, like a flock of vultures over an elephant's carcass. As Yang charged, Mercury launched a series of kicks, striking at Yang and forcing her away. She looked up, and saw the cyclone of projectiles converge onto one single target.
Her.
The projectiles rained on Yang, shrouding her in a cloud of white smoke. Mercury smiled, and began to walk away, brushing his clothes as he arrogantly strode away. But through the cloud, a fire ignited. The smoke evaporated, revealing a furious Yang, her hair aglow, and her eyes the colour of blood. She charged, shrugging off Mercury's blows, and retaliating with a series of punches. Harder and harder she hit, until finally, one titanic blow to Mercury's chest depleted his Aura to zero, and sent him to the edge of the arena.
"What a way to kick off the finals!"
"Yang Xiao Long is the victor!"
Even though I wasn't in attendance, I let out a congratulatory cheer. Hopefully, Yang could bring Beacon to victory in the whole tournament. That would end our first year at Beacon with a –
*BANG!*
The sudden noise made me slip from the rope ladder, and land in a heap on the floor. Scrabbling to get a view of the tournament feed, a replay of the source of the noise appeared on the screen.
Yang had fired a round into Mercury's knee, breaking it.
I watched slack-jawed at the grisly footage, watching it unfold in my memory. There was no way Yang would do something like that. She had won. There was no reason to do that.
Why would she do that?
"I'm sorry, but you've left us with no choice."
"But he attacked me!"
"Video footage and millions of viewers say otherwise."
After Yang had been taken into custody following the sucker punch she had dealt Mercury, Ruby, Weiss and Blake returned to the dorm room. Yang was brought up under guard, and we all sat in silence for the longest time. Finally, General Ironwood, the last person I wanted to see, arrived, and had begun to explain the ramifications of Yang's actions.
"But Yang would never do that!" Weiss argued.
"Yeah!" Ruby agreed. Ironwood turned away.
"You all seem like good students, and the staff here at Beacon are fully aware that you would never lash out the way you did... under normal circumstances. What I believe, and hope, this to be is nothing more than the result of stress and adrenaline. When you're out on the battlefield, your judgment can become clouded in an instant. Sometimes you see things that simply aren't there. Even after the fight is past..." The general trailed off, rolling his shoulder and looking to it. From the tone in his voice, it seemed like he had received a personal experience.
"But I wasn't-" Yang protested, but Ironwood was quick to cut her off, whirling around to face her.
"That's ENOUGH!" The general barked, silencing us all. Taking a breath, he continued.
"The sad truth is, whether it was an accident or an assault, it doesn't matter. The world saw you attack an innocent student. They've already drawn their own conclusions. And it's my job to inform you that... you are disqualified." He explained. Then, without a word, he left, shutting the door behind him. Yang looked up to the girls.
"You guys believe me, right?"
"Duh!" Ruby answered.
"You're hotheaded, but you're not ruthless." Weiss agreed. Blake said nothing.
"Blake?"
Yang's voice quivered, as she looked to her partner. Blake didn't meet her eyes, only looking down.
"I want to believe you…"
"What?! How can you say that, Blake?" I demanded, feeling some anger bubble within. Blake looked up to us, and sighed.
"I had someone very dear to me change. It wasn't in an instant, it was gradual - little choices that began to pile up. He told me not to worry. At first they were accidents, then it was self-defense. Before long, even I began to think he was right." She explained. Undoubtedly, she was talking about Adam, her former partner in the White Fang. Blake paused, and hung her head.
"This is all just... very familiar." She breathed. I looked to Yang, who had started to let tears fall down her cheek.
"But you're not him." Blake looked up, capturing our attention once more.
"And you've never done anything like this before. So... I want to trust you. I will trust you. But first, I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me that he attacked you. I need you to promise me that you regret having to do what you did." Blake stated. Yang wiped her eyes, and let out a shaky breath. Then her eyes met with Blake's.
"I saw him attack me, so I attacked back." She said. A moment passed, until Blake gave a smile.
"Okay. Thank you."
And with that, Ruby, Weiss and Blake all got to their feet.
"I'm gonna rest up." Yang stated.
"We'll get out of your hair then."
The three girls left, clicking the door shut behind them. I watched them go, and decided to take a seat beside Yang. She looked to me.
"What about you, D?" Yang pleaded. I just looked out the window, watching as a crow flew by.
"What kind of question is that? Did you forget what I went through?" I asked. Yang didn't respond. I looked back to her.
"Of course I believe you. I'd be an idiot not to. More than that, I'd be a hypocrite." I soothed. Yang gave a small smile, as another teardrop streaked down her face.
"Good." She sighed, looking down to her lap. Taking a chance, I draped an arm over her shoulders, and gently grasped her chin, turning her gaze to me.
"Y'know, I watched your fight. And you were amazing." I stated. Yang smiled slightly.
"I wish you could have been in the arena with me." She whispered. I shook my head, letting out a chuckle.
"Believe me, I would have loved to be in the fray. But seeing you win all those matches for Beacon more than made up for it. No matter what happened today, I'm proud of you for getting this far. For taking us this far." I smiled. Yang returned the smile, and laid her head into my chest, as I gently stroked her hair.
"Guess we're both pariahs now. You attacked guards. I attacked a combatant." She sighed.
"Then we'll be pariahs together." I said. Yang looked up, and gave a bittersweet smile.
"Doesn't make it hurt less."
"But at least it can't hurt more." I answered, giving a humourless chuckle. Yang leaned away, and wrapped her arms around me. I needed no further prompting; leaning forward, her lips met mine, and we shared another kiss.
A few hours later, the sun had began to set, bathing our room in an orange glow. Yang laid on her bed, scratching Zwei's ears, while I paced back and forth, trying to piece it all together.
"Something's screwy here. We've both seen things that weren't happening, and we both came out looking bad." I muttered as I strode back and forth.
"You think someone's manipulating us?" Yang asked, not looking up.
"There's a saying back on Earth: Once is a coincidence. Twice is a connection." I replied.
"What?"
"It means if something unbelievable happens more than once, then there's likely a link between them. You saw Mercury attack you. I saw that cloaked figure from the train appear as an army. There's a connection here, but what?" I explained. Yang sighed.
"Well, it's not like we can do much about it here. With the guards around, we can't leave to go find out." Yang stated. I nodded.
"Yeah, and I doubt Kimba could help us. I can't exactly summon her at will. Do we have any other options?" I asked. Yang looked around for a moment, thinking, until finally, her face lit up. Hopping down from her bed, she walked to the bathroom and re-emerged with a change of clothes for me in a plastic bag.
"Get dressed. And make sure to get some warpaint on. You'll need the disguise." She ordered, shoving the bag into my arms, and frogmarching me into the bathroom. As I entered, Yang immediately shut the door behind me. Deciding to humour her for the time being, I opened the bag, and dumped the clothes out.
A sleeveless red overcoat, lined with fur, and accompanied with a hood, a pair of blue slacks with red ribbing on the thighs, and canvas sneakers. Additionally, a tin of blue paint clattered to the floor. Stripping down, I donned the new outfit, and looked to the mirror. Dipping my fingers into the paint, I drew a blue stripe from my hairline, angling over my right eyeball and continuing down my cheek. I watched the paint quickly dry in the mirror, before unlocking the bathroom door. Immediately, Zwei began growling and barking angrily at me.
"Hey, easy, easy boy! It's just me!" I pulled the hood down, revealing my painted face. Zwei stopped barking for a moment, and looked at me happily, his tongue now drooping from his panting maw.
"Good disguise, D. I barely recognize you."
Yang stepped forwards, and scooped Zwei under her arm, plopping him onto Blake's bed. Then she turned to me.
"So how does this help me escape, exactly?" I asked. Yang didn't respond. Instead, she simply walked into the bathroom again, gesturing me to follow her. I complied, worried what was about to come next.
"Out of curiosity, you're not claustrophobic, are you?" Yang asked. I shook my head.
"No. Why d'ya ask?" I questioned. But I soon got my answer.
She had gone to the laundry chute, and was holding it open.
"No. No way in hell am I going in there." I said firmly. Yang adamantly gestured to the chute.
"The doors and windows are guarded, and the air vents are too small. It'll be a tight squeeze and a bumpy ride, but you'll be able to sneak out without raising the alarm." She responded, not taking her eyes off me.
"And how do you know I'll fit? I don't think even Ruby could squeeze into that." I stated, looking hesitantly into the darkness. Yang just placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Well, only one way to find out." She answered. And with that, she gave me a hard push, sending me off-balance, and into the dusty shaft.
Yang was right; it was a tight squeeze. And incredibly dusty, almost suffocatingly so. But after a few seconds of falling in the darkness, I landed in a large hamper of sweaty clothes, sinking up to my waist. It was quite grimy, and stank of a sweaty gym, so I hopped out, as quickly as I could. As I clambered out, desperately wishing for nose plugs, a bag dropped into the laundry hamper. Grasping it, I looked inside to find my regular clothes, my Basilisk's Spirit, and a note. Unfolding it showed a quick message.
D,
Remember, keep a low profile. Try talking to people about these incidents.
Yang
P.S.: When you get back, there's something you need to know. I'd rather tell you in person.
Crumpling the note up into a ball and shoving it into my pocket, I slipped out of the ajar doorway, and began my hunt for clues.
Hours had passed, and the sun was beginning to set, basking everything in a warm, orange glow. Having taken a seat on a bench near Beacon's fountain, I pulled Yang's note out of my pocket, and began to scribble on the back of it, trying to piece the puzzle together.
Yang had seen Mercury attack her. I had seen the cloaked figure duplicate into an army. Both times, we had seen things others hadn't. Somebody was altering our perceptions. Making us see things that weren't there.
"Hey, is this seat taken?"
Looking up, enough so I could see from under my hood, but not enough to reveal my face, I saw that Coco Adel, leader of team CFVY, had approached. She wasn't carrying her collapsible chaingun, instead opting for a smaller, brown purse. But otherwise, she still dressed in her chocolate brown fashionista outfit. I slid across, allowing her room to take a seat. After a moment of quiet, Coco glanced at my scribbles.
"What's that?"
I sighed.
"Something weird is going on. After the PISCES demo ended, I– I saw that Darrel kid go nuts on the security guards, and I happened to overhear him say that he saw some kind of robed man multiply into an army. Then his blondie girlfriend attacks Silver Boots without provocation, even though she swears otherwise. Somebody's setting the two of them up. The both of them saw things that weren't there." I explained, being very careful not to let my true identity slip out.
"Then add me to the list."
I looked up.
"Sorry?"
"I saw Yatsuhashi in the forest biome during our doubles match with Greenie and Silver Boots, but he was still in the geyser fields. People are calling it some kind of battle stress-induced hallucination." Coco explained. Looking back down to my small diagram, I scribbled out what Coco had told me.
"Once is a coincidence. Twice is a connection." I muttered. If Coco had seen Yatsuhashi, despite reality saying otherwise, and Yang had seen Mercury attack him…
Wait.
"That's it!" I exclaimed, causing Coco to jump.
"What's it?" She asked, her voice betraying a hint of shock.
"You saw Yatsuhashi in your match against Mercury and Emerald, even though he was on the other side of the battlefield. But it was brushed off as a hallucination."
Once is a coincidence.
"Then Yang attacks Mercury, despite her saying that he attacked first. Again, it was brushed off as a hallucination."
Twice is a connection.
"Coco, did you see Mercury at all during my– Darrel's demo of the PISCES?" I asked desperately. Coco didn't respond for a moment. Until finally, she spoke.
"I saw him in the crowd a few seats down from me. He seemed to be intensely focussed on the demo. Even when Darrel went crazy, he didn't look away. If anything, I could've sworn I saw a smile creep on his face."
Three times is a conspiracy.
"Our minds were messed with. We all saw things that weren't there. And now, there's one factor in all of these cases."
"Mercury has an illusion Semblance." I realized with a gasp. Hopping to my feet, I took off running, not even looking back as Coco yelled a request after me, one that went unheard.
Stopping for a moment to change back into my regular clothes, and to throw the Basilisk's Spirit on my back, I reached the cliff's edge, the one by the docks, overlooking the large body of water, and leapt off, activating the jetpack, and beginning my swift ascent to the Colosseum. As I drew in close, I noticed that guards had been posted on the gangways, so landing there was a no-go. Luckily, a quick visual scan of the floating arena revealed a service tunnel on the east of the building. Steering myself to the hatch, I unfurled a sword, and activated the cutting mechanism, allowing me to slice the door open with ease. With a determined grunt, I ripped the damaged panel free from it's mooring, and threw it away into the sky. Clambering in, I tried not to inhale the asphyxiating clouds of dust, and tried to keep quiet.
Darrel, what the hell do you think you're doing?!
Not now, Kimba.
Darrel, you were told to stay in your dorm room! What are you doing?!
Not now, Kimba!
Finally passing over a grate, I cut it loose, and dropped down into a back hallway. If I was right, and Mercury could cast illusions, then maybe his leg was never really broken. It was said that he had returned to Mistral to spend time with his family, but if he hadn't really left...
Who knows what kind of damage he could create?
Putting hypothetical situations out of my mind, I spurred myself on.
"For tonight's match, it looks like our first combatant will be Penny Polendina of Atlas!"
Port's voice was muffled from the layers of stone, rebar, and concrete, but it was enough to discern what was being said.
"And her opponent will be… Pyrrha Nikos of Beacon!"
A cold chill ran down my spine. If what I had thought was true, and Penny was a cyborg…
I had to stop the fight.
"Ooh, polarity versus metal. That could be bad."
Screeching to a halt, I darted into an alcove, and peeked out to get a better view of whoever was speaking. There, I could see Mercury, his back turned to me, and Ruby, her face distraught. She instinctively reached for her back for Crescent Rose, only to come up empty. She looked to Mercury.
"Mercury, what are you doing? You were hurt! You–" Ruby demanded. Mercury gave no reply. Ruby narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
"What's going on?" She asked. Again, Mercury offered no response, only brought his arms up into a fighting stance. Ruby crouched down, ready to charge away with her speed.
"Well, if you're not gonna tell me…"
"Then maybe you can tell me." I snarled. Mercury whirled around, only to be met with a hard punch to the face. He stumbled back into the wall, and shook his dazedness away.
"Ruby! Stop the fight! I'll handle this!" I yelled, seeing her dash off. Mercury growled, and kicked out a round from his greaves towards Ruby's back. I leapt in front of it, and crossed my arms in front of my face, taking the shot and absorbing as much of the impact as I could. Bringing my arms back into a battle stance.
"You're supposed to be in your dorm." Mercury growled.
"And you're supposed to be in Mistral. How'd you fool everyone?" I sneered. Mercury gave a dark chuckle.
"That's for me to know, and for you never to find out." He sneered, charging forwards. As he leapt into a flying kick, I smacked his leg away, sending him crashing to the floor. Before he could get up, I slammed atop his body, pinning him down.
"Get off me!" Mercury growled, struggling for all his worth. Ignoring his desperate thrashes to free himself, I reached to the cuff of his pant's leg, and pulled it down. What greeted me was not flesh and bone, like I had expected, but was instead steel, wires, and hundreds of doodads I couldn't describe. Rolling up the other leg revealed a similar mechanism.
"So that's how you did it…" I breathed, before unsheathing a sword and activating the forbidden cutting system. Without flinching, I held it to his neck.
"Why did you mess with our heads?" I snarled. Mercury just looked up to me.
"What? What're you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb! You fooled Coco. You ruined the PISCES demo. You defamed Yang. Now you're gonna tell me why, or I'm gonna break your real bones." I growled.
"You don't have the guts."
With that, I buried my blade into the ground an inch away from his nose.
"Figuratively, maybe not, but you talk to me like that again, you won't have any literal guts yourself. Now talk!" I shouted. Mercury snickered.
"You moron." Mercury chuckled. Then, with blazing speed, he rolled over, throwing me onto my back. Before I could move, he had leapt to his feet, and was barreling a boot into my face. I was able to stop it with an iron grip, and shoved it aside, sending him off balance. But it was short lived; Mercury planted a hand on the floor, and swung his other leg at my face, landing a clean blow. My vision blurred, and I fell back to the ground. Looking up, I saw Mercury sprinting away, through a door.
"Get back here!" I roared, shaking away my dizziness and taking off into a run after him. I ran out the door, and quickly scanned the crowd for Mercury. But it was impossible. There were too many people, and he could easily blend in with his Semblance. Looking ahead, Penny and Pyrrha's battle ran at full swing, and there was no time.
If I could get to the arena floor, then I could stop this.
Sprinting towards the barrier separating the stands from the arena, I swung my sword into the forcefield, only for it to bounce away. I kept slashing away, but it was futile. Left with no other option, I turned on the cutting mechanism, and slammed the blade into the forcefield. To my surprise, it went through, puncturing a hole. Forcing the blade downwards widened the gap, but it took a lot of effort to do so. The hole I had opened wouldn't stay open for long.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!"
A glance over my shoulder revealed some Atlesian guards had charged forwards, armed with stun batons and manacles. Cursing under my breath, I slammed my hands into the gap, and pushed the sides apart. It took all my strength, but finally, I was able to widen the hole enough for me to fit through. Yelling with a gargantuan amount of effort, I tumbled through the hole, right as the guards reached me. One of them pulled his radio out, and began barking orders. But that didn't matter. Sprinting forwards towards the floating portion of the arena floor, I rocketed up, and landed in a crouch, before charging to the two combatants.
Penny was holding her swords aloft, while Pyrrha was looking in fear at her. Mercury must have been manipulating Pyrrha by now. I couldn't guess what she saw, but whatever it was, it terrified her.
"Penny! Pyrrha! Stop!"
My yell drew the attention of both girls. But as Penny looked to me, two of her swords darted forwards, right towards Pyrrha.
"NOOO!"
With a yell, I leapt forwards, diving in front of Pyrrha, my palms held up. With a discharge from my repulsors, the swords were sent backwards, right to Penny.
A horrible sound of crumpling metal filled my ears, as the swords whisked past Penny. The wires that Penny used to control these weapons wrapped around her knees, causing them to crumple and collapse, until finally they were torn asunder. The swords kept going, dragging their wielder off the arena floor, and right to the edge of the stands. Getting to my feet, I ran to the edge of the floating arena, and finally saw the destruction I had caused.
A massive streak of skin had been ground into the arena floor, leading up to Penny's prone body. As she stirred, she held a hand to her face. Her clothes had been dirtied, and her legs shuddered. But instead of blood and viscera, gears and servos emerged from her bifurcated thighs. But what was most shocking of all was her face.
The skin on the right side of her face had been ground away, revealing a metallic skull, with her eye dangling limply from it's socket, suspended by criss-crossing wires. She looked up, and recoiled in fear. Looking to where her eye was focused on, the carnage that I had caused was shown in full detail on the arena's jumbotron.
My theory was true. Penny was a robot.
"No… no, I didn't mean…" I whispered, feeling the hated eyes of everybody present bore into me.
"This is not a tragedy."
The voice boomed throughout the arena, and all eyes looked around, to see who was speaking. But as it spoke, I was able to discern the voice's identity.
It was my own.
"This was not a accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children to men who claim to be your guardians, but are, in reality, nothing more than men. Your academies' headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both. They cling to this power in the name of peace and yet what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army torn asunder by a monster. What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference. But I certainly can. And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching his students? First a dismemberment and now this? Huntsmen and huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither. Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when this monster slipped the leash and rampaged across Vale. Or perhaps this is his message to the tyrannical dictator who has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces. Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue to who is right and who is wrong. But I know the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of your kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves and concealed daggers. I have traveled the world, and I have seen this situation, this… tension everywhere. Your kingdoms are at the brink of war and yet the citizens are left in the dark. So to the people of the world, know this: when war breaks out, and when the queen calls the knight…"
My stomach lurched, as my brain processed the words, the words I had prayed to never hear again.
Queen calls the knight.
The toxin was taking control. And if I didn't stop it, people would undoubtedly die, by my hands.
Summoning all my willpower, I tried to resist. Falling to my knees, and propping myself on my elbows, I tried to fight. I was not about to help them. Not again.
Not… again…
"…who do you think you can trust?"
"He's resisting."
"It won't change anything. He prolongs the inevitable. He will fall, eventually."
"Are you sure?"
"This formula is more potent than you realize. You will have your general soon."
"Just… please don't hurt him."
"Kor… you'd care for the wellbeing of this… insect?"
"O- of course not, milady."
"Good."
"Good."
Looking up, I saw a giant Nevermore break through the shield overhead, and land with a crash. Unfurling it's truck sized wings, it let out a screech to the newly revealed night sky. Looking down, it made eye contact with me.
"Slaughter them. All of them." I ordered, nary a hint of remorse in my voice. The beast cawed, and took off, swooping over the terrified crowd.
"Darrel? What do you think you're doing?!" Pyrrha yelled behind me. I didn't look back, nor did I say anything. I simply tapped the booster jets on my backpack, and rocketed away. But I didn't get very far before my ascent halted. Looking down, I saw Pyrrha holding her hand aloft, her hand shrouded in a dark glow, her polarity control Semblance. I prepared a blast, but I was too slow; Pyrrha slammed me into the ground. Trying to recover from the stunning impact, I got to my knees, and saw the young warrior kneel beside me.
"Why? Why are you doing this?" She asked, her face contorted with worry. Unsheathing a blade, I swiped, causing her to leap back in shock.
"Does it matter? Beacon will fall. The world will fall. And nobody can stop it." I snarled. Rushing forward, another swipe sent Pyrrha tumbling to the ground. As she looked up to me, I readied my blade for the killing blow.
"Goodbye, false maiden." I growled, raising my sword. But before I could swing it down, two swords crossed in front of me, blocking my strike.
Ruby was holding one, and Penny, draped over Ruby's shoulders, controlled the other by a wire.
"Get away from her!" Ruby yelled. I growled, and forced my blade upwards, spinning back to gain room. As I did so, I channeled a blast into my gauntlet. Ruby charged with a yell, and Penny hurled her weapon. But it wasn't them I aimed at. Slamming my hand onto the ground, I fired, causing the floating arena floor to wobble, sending Ruby off balance, causing Penny to tumble to the shaking floor. While they struggled, I reactivated my jetpack, and took off into the sky.
Hopefully there would be no more delays. Lady Cinder would want to know about the vault and it's contents. When she gained her birthright, the world would know that the Reckoning was coming.
And I would be the harbinger.
So Darrel's a bad guy now.
…
Looks like more fingers are about to be pointed.